


Secrets

by Edlinklover



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Complete, Developing Friendships, Fluff, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-10-09 23:44:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10424484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Edlinklover/pseuds/Edlinklover
Summary: A mechanical heart is learning to live.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hi this story's been out on fanfiction.net for a while but I refrained from posting until now because of lack of feedback on my first Vocaloid story and I figured it wasn't worth posting my work here...but I recently reread this story after getting a review over there, found it wasn't bad, and decided to post it here at nearly 1 AM because I make bad decisions in life.
> 
> This is friendship stuff really, I didn't really intend to make shipping material but you can see it as regular old Olikase as well if you want, which is why I included both the platonic and romantic tags for Oliver and Fukase.

Sing of liberty,  
                              Sing of sorrow,  
                                                        Spill your heart, your voice, and then maybe someday,

 

You’ll be able to find the dream you once lost.

* * *

  
The world was still, with the exception of the faint chirping of the birds. A figure was shadowing a young boy from the sun, who had been contently practicing a song he had been taught.

  
Slowly, the boy blinked, the wind whistling through the air. Tilting his head, he asked, “Who might you be?”

His single eye was glazed, the yellow color muted. It held no interest, and he seemed to ask only out of politeness, a quiet obligation.

The standing figure smiled but instead of giving an answer, he posed a question of his own. “So you’re that new singing android kid?”

Another blink, as if processing it. The boy nodded, as if unsure. “Yes…”

The figure stepped aside and took a seat on the grass beside him.

“Do you have a name?”

The boy thought a moment. “My creator said it’s Oliver but he’s thinking of changing it to Devan or Cody. He’s also considering Treble.”

The stranger laughed at this. “Treble? Really?”

Oliver tilted his head. “Is something funny?”

“More than anything, you look like an Oliver to me. Treble--,” the stranger made a face, a corner of his stitched lips pulling into a grimace, “That one doesn’t suit you at all.”

The android said nothing, continuing to blink slowly. His gaze shifted to the sky, following a lone black bird fluttering across.

“Is there something you need of me?” Oliver didn’t look at the stranger as he spoke, focused on the bird as it perched itself on a tree branch. “Would you like me to sing? I’m quite good at it.”

The stranger pondered over this. “How about I sing and you listen? I’m in a bit of a singing mood.”

A flicker of surprise passed over the android’s face, his eye widening and his mouth hanging agape.

“You sing…” the boy started hesitantly, “for me..?” It was a foreign concept to something that had been programmed only to sing for others.

“Yep! How about it? I can even teach it to you if you want so you can show your creator or whatever.”

In that instant, the emotionless, mechanical demeanor of the boy melted away as his eye lit up in excitement. A sheepish smile spread his lips apart.

“Then…if you don’t mind?” His hands drew his knees closer to his chest and he stared at the stranger, waiting for a response as his toes curled and rocked his body back and forth.

The stranger gave him a smile before clearing his throat. With that, he began singing, his voice soft and gentle. Oliver closed his eye and went still, listening, letting the melody surround him as everything dissolved--everything except the voice. The gears in his head were turning as the words pricked something in his artificial heart.

When the song ended and he opened his eye, the world was more vibrant than he remembered it.

“There,” said the stranger with a wide grin. Oliver blinked in surprise; had his eyes always been such a red color? “How was that for a first?”

“It was…” He trailed off, searching for the right words to describe it, “Beautiful,” he decided, “Amazing.”

“Want me to teach it to you now?”

Oliver shook his head. “I remember every song I hear. My creator plays them often and tells me to sing them later.” None of them, however, were sung just for him. The fact that this was a first left a strange fluttering feeling inside him. It made him feel curious as to what it was; perhaps he’d ask his creator about it later?

“Technology is advancing a lot,” the stranger said, amazed. “People would kill to have a memory like that-- I’m not exaggerating.” He fiddled with the end of a cane Oliver hadn’t noticed him holding.

“Oh, by the way, what’s with all the bandages? I thought you were new.”

The light that had been dancing in his eye dimmed, his smile waning as his hand gingerly touched the bandages stretching over where his left eye should be.

“Oh,” he said quietly, as if remembering something. “A glitch, my creator is taking the time to fix it.”

“Your knee and ankle too?”

The boy glanced down at the bandages tightly wrapped around them and gave a curt nod. “They’re having issues.”

“Huh.” The stranger’s brows were raised as he studied the android, who expressed no discomfort at him doing so. In fact, he closed his eye and began humming to himself—the same song the stranger had been singing earlier.

The two sat together without speaking for a while. The birds kept chirping and an occasional breeze would roll the grass.

When Oliver finished, he asked the stranger quietly, “Can you keep a secret?”

It was now his turn to blink in surprise. “If I have to.”

He hesitated, his gaze turning skyward. This time, no birds were flying.

“I’m…sad I think,” he said, “I’ve read books and I think that’s what it is.” He was looking at the grass now, one hand playing at the blades. “But if I told my creator, I think…” he cocked his head to the side, “I think it’ll make him sad too.”

The stranger said nothing before asking, “Do you know why you’re sad?”

He was silent as he thought. “I think I’m lonely. It’s just my creator and me, but he’s busy a lot.” He buried half of his face in his arms. “He’s been sick a lot too.”

“Is there anyone else like you around?”

There was a spark of life in the boy’s eye as he lifted his head. “Yes, actually.”

Turning to the stranger with a faint smile, he whispered, “Don’t tell anyone this either, but I heard my creator knows someone who’s working on an android too.” His excitement growing, he added, “I heard him say it himself, they’re even working on making it sing.”

He smiled at the ground, hugging his knees. “If it’s not too much to ask, I’d like to meet it someday.”

A glint in his eyes, the stranger asked, “What do you think his name is?”

The boy blinked. “Fukase, why?”

The stranger smiled. “No reason.”

With that, he hauled himself to his feet, using his cane as support. “Well, I’ve stuck around here a bit too long, I’d better get going.”

“Wait!” Oliver sprung up, his hand reaching to grab the sleeve of the stranger’s tattered coat.

Realizing what he just did, his hand jumped back. His fingers went to fiddle with the bow fastened around the collar of his neck as he tentatively asked, “You’ll—come back, won’t you?”

The initial surprised reaction of the stranger, who Oliver now acknowledged was around his designated age, changed into a smile. “Yeah.”

He beamed at his reply, the smile contagious. For just a brief instant, someone could have mistaken him for a normal human boy.

As the stranger began walking away, he abruptly stopped and stood in contemplation.

“I have a secret too,” he said finally, “You think you can keep it?”

Oliver nodded at first but quickly realized he couldn’t be seen. “Yes.”

The stranger turned on his heel, looking over at Oliver with a lopsided grin. He tipped the odd-looking hat sitting comfortably on top of his red mop of hair.

“My name is Fukase.”

As realization dawned upon him, Fukase had already turned and started on his way again. He waved without looking back.

“I’ll be seeing you around then, Oliver.”


End file.
